Wind and Wolves
by Blue Bayou
Summary: Naruko is the last of the Namikaze struggling to fight off an insane Madara. His mastery over travel between dimensions was skill that Naruko was unable to overcome; until she designed a seal that could anchor her to another Chakra signature. She didn't suspect that the anchor would bring her to the past when Madara figured out how to alter time.
1. Chapter 1

Rain fell with abandon as Kakashi raced back to Konoha. Using Chakra to steady his footing and strengthen his muscles, he travelled through the trees. With honed senses he leaped from branch to branch at speeds a civilian would not be able to track. Leaves and branches flew by with a blur in his peripheral vision. The cacophony of water pelting every surface was making it difficult to hear the Kiri hunters chasing them relentlessly, but he could sense their Chakra. They weren't far off, maybe two minutes at their current speed. Carrying Rin on his back was tiring him faster than expected. It was allowing the Kiri ninja to close the gap between them. Rin knew that their pursuers would eventually catch them. She whispered in Kakashi's ear, pleading with him dejectedly.

"Kakashi, you have to listen to me. I can't return to the village. Kiri sealed the three-tailed beast in me. I…I can't handle its Chakra. I can't handle it and you can't outrun those ninja while carrying me. Even if we made it back to Konoha, the risk is too high. I could lose control behind Konoha's walls. It would destroy the village!"

Kakashi ignored her as he concentrated on staying ahead of Kiri. "Kakashi! Listen! Konoha's safety is paramount! Think about what you are risking by bringing me back! The village must come first!"

He faltered momentarily but caught himself. The forest broke into a large clearing forcing Kakashi to the ground for their travel. This isn't good; he thought. The area is too open, we are too vulnerable. He sensed Kiri taking advantage of his mistake; the ninja circled the clearing, surrounding them on all sides. Their pursuers stepped into the clearing, six ninja in total.

"You are surrounded. Set the girl down and surrender. We will be taking you both back to Kiri."

Kakashi swore under his breath and slowly lowered Rin to the ground. Something was off, why was Kiri standing there threatening them? They were outnumbered three to one and Rin was in no condition to fight. His mind raced as he planned.

"A smart move, " the leader of the Kiri squad started to say, "now.."

Kakashi exploded toward the closest ninja in a burst of speed. Without the weight of Rin slowing him down, his speed caught the enemy off guard. His hands raced through the seals for a Chidori with equally astonishing speed. The Tomoe in Kakashi's Sharingan spun, signifying its use as it flooded his mind with incredible clarity of perception. Lightning erupted around his outstretched hand, bringing the Chidori to life, as it was thrust toward the heart of the Kiri ninja. Time seemed to slow as his brain processed the situation at unrivaled speeds. The other five ninja were not reacting in time, they wouldn't be able to stop him. His target was the slowest of the group to react. Kakashi had gotten lucky in choosing his first target. The ninja was as good as dead.

Before Kakashi understood what his mind was interpreting, his body was already numb with fear. His Sharingan was predicting Rin's intention to move into his line of attack. What was going on? Why would she want to protect Kiri? He couldn't stop, he couldn't divert. Rin was going to be pierced with his Chidori. He was going to kill her!

Within seconds Kakashi was halfway to the Kiri ninja with his Chidori leading the way; and Rin had positioned herself to block his attack. Suddenly it felt like the air grew thick, as if they were all moving through water. A heartbeat later and everyone was on their knees, like they were pushed by a sudden force. Kakashi's Chidori slammed into the ground with an explosion of mud and rocks. The ground buckled under the strength of the invisible force, caving in to resemble a large basin. Before anyone could bat an eye the pressure disappeared and was replaced with a thunderous boom.

Everyone's hands shot to their ears in an effort to buffer the sound from causing damage to their hearing. In the same moment a streak of red and black shot from the center of the clearing between Kakashi and Rin so quickly his Sharingan could barely track it. Another explosion of sound reverberated through the air as the object struck ground and ricocheted out of view. Every ninja swung their eyes towards the center and eyebrows rose in surprise.

A girl stood at the center, no - a woman. She was easily the most beautiful woman Kakashi had ever seen. She wore a grey haori, trimmed in dark orange. The contrast of the trim demanded your attention and accentuated the curves of her body. She wore a set of black gloves on top of which the leaf of Konoha was engraved in red. Blonde hair was tied back with a single clip, allowing it to flow behind her shoulders and down to her waist. She stood straight and tall without moving a muscle. Her eyebrows had the graceful arch of a raptor's wings in flight.

He could see her Chakra with his Sharingan. She held a capacity that only could only be compared to a Kage. Even without his dojutsu, he could sense how oppressive her Chakra was in its strength; but it held a warmth that caressed his skin like sunlight. With a quick glance around he could tell that the feeling was mutual. Her presence was like a bonfire on a winter night. Some of the Kiri ninja were gaping at her in awe.

Kakashi got the strange feeling that he had always known her; but he had never seen this woman before. Her cobalt blue eyes came unafraid to his and Kakashi started to sweat a little. It was foolish to look directly into an active Sharingan. Was she ignorant, or did she know how to counter its use? When they locked eyes, her gaze grabbed ahold of him as surely as a grip of iron would. Her eyes searching his as if peering into his soul and he thought that they widened in panic. Did this woman know him? Who was she?

When she released his gaze, Kakashi was astonished. He was so spellbound that he hadn't noticed her condition. She was haggard. A wound on her leg bled profusely and had soaked her black leggings with blood. Cuts and abrasions marred every inch of her skin that could be seen through the tears in her haori. How was she even standing? How did she have such a commanding presence despite her condition?

Kakashi was yanked out of his musing with an explosion of Chakra. The Chakra was so thick and vile it made Kakashi feel ill. The source was whatever had been jettisoned out of the clearing. When he turned to look, that red and black object shot back toward the woman. As Kakashi followed its trajectory the woman had already formed a guard with two swords. He hadn't noticed the weapons on her; did they come from a storage seal? Wind Chakra roared to life coating the weapons. They were both butterfly swords, an unusual weapon for a ninja. Hieroglyphics and other symbols were etched into the blades indicating fuinjutsu. The red and black blur was actually a man in crimson armor. A gunbai sheathed in that vile chakra led his charge into the clearing. When he reached the woman a downward swing with the gunbai was blocked in a pincer between her swords. The clash of the two weapons caused another explosion of force, knocking everyone off balance.

The two combatants fell into battle with a mix of kenjutsu and taijutsu that was so immaculate it had everyone gaping. These two were clearly masters of their art. They were battling at a level of skill that was beyond Kakashi. The only person he had witnessed in combat at this level was his sensei, Minato.

Each attack made with one weapon was met by a parry from the opponent. Each kick and elbow was met by a flawless guard. Neither ninja left exploitable openings in their movements. Every blow was enhanced with so much Chakra that it reverberated through the area like an explosion. When they broke apart, the man in armor held a murderous scowl.

"How did you follow me?! How are you here?!"

Her voice held the same beauty of her Chakra, "How else? I anchored to you with Fuinjutsu. Where is here, Madara? Where have you done?"

Kakashi's eyes bulged. Madara? As in Uchiha Madara? What was going on here? Madara smirked, "you used a seal to follow me into an unknown? You are more ignorant than I thought. I grew tired of your constant interference. Now I don't have to deal with you, anymore; I can just deal with your father."

The woman went so white that Kakashi thought she would faint. "Those eyes are not yours, Madara." Kakashi flicked a glance at Madara's eyes to see a ripple pattern with a purple sclera. Was that the Rinnegan?! "Your methods are despicable and you are a monster amongst demons. The Sage of Six Paths had failsafes in place should his power fall into the wrong hands. I'll make sure my father is ready to destroy you and I will be there to help him do it." Madara barked a quick laugh as Kakashi's Sharingan detected the instantaneous build-up of Chakra in him. The man was preparing to release a jutsu, and he had turned to look right at Kakashi with intent. The blonde woman appeared in front of Kakashi with a shunshin, slapping her hand onto the ground. A seal sprang to life under her palm, webbing out under himself and Rin. Madara smirked again, "until next time, Naruko. You should be thankful I have given you the chance to finally meet your parents! Shinra Tensei!".

A visible force of pressure rippled out from Madara. The landscape was torn up in reaction the the blast. The woman's seal sprang to life, encasing the three of them in a translucent yellow dome. Her face contorted in a wince of concentration as she started to sweat with effort. Kakashi watched her channel an enormous amount of Chakra into the seal; so much that it dwarfed the Chakra of everyone in the adea. It was clearly some sort of shield, and the strength of it depended on the Chakra input. Moments later the pressure died down as uprooted trees and other debris fell to the ground. When the shield fell and the dust cleared, 'Madara' and the Kiri ninja could no longer be sensed.

Kakashi stood from his place on the ground just as the woman collapsed. Minato arrived with a squad of Jounin seconds later. He eyed the destruction with a critical eye before turning to Kakashi. "We felt the Chakra being thrown around here from miles away. What happened?" His eyes fell on Rin first and his face showed every trace of the elation that he felt. The girl was in his arms faster than anyone could blink "Thank the Gods! We were so worried Rin!"

Then he noticed blonde woman and the residue of the seal webbing out from under her. As he traced the glyphs and formulae his eyebrows rose in astonishment. With Rin still in his arms, Minato turned back toward Kakashi. "Who is the woman? Why is she wearing the Leaf Symbol? Did she make this seal? This is…. This is incredible. It's…. I've never seen such a shield! It was a shield, right?"

Apparently even Rin's return couldn't ebb Minato's obsession with Fuuinjutsu. "Minato-Sensei!" his voice sounded like the crack of a whip. "Kiri put a volatile seal on Rin. She said that they sealed the Three-Tailed Beast into her with it. It's demonic Chakra is burning up her Chakra coils! Please tell me you can save her!"


	2. Chapter 2

Their camp was spread out at the base of a steep, rocky hill; it buffered the group from the strong winds bearing west. Kakashi was crouched over a recently dug hole, slowly feeding small dry twigs into a budding flame; it allowed the heat of the fire to completely burn the wood eliminating any smoke. The hole was deep enough that it would hide the flame from anyone glancing in their direction. Normally ninja would just use Chakra to keep themselves warm; but it was a huge risk to use even the smallest amounts this close to where they had their skirmish.

The sun had dipped beyond the horizon by time camp had been made. The unknown kunoichi remained unconscious on the ground. She was positioned close to the fire so that it would provide enough warmth. Reinforced wire bound her wrists behind her back and tethered them to her ankles. Her wounds had been cleaned and dressed. Minato ordered the others not to use any form of Jutsu on her, even for healing.

When the tattered remains of her clothing were removed to inspect her wounds, it revealed that her body was rife with intricate seal-work. The seals were hard to spot at first, only giving off a pearlescent sheen if light hit them at a certain angle. The Fuinjutsu was extremely complex and not recognizable to Minato. Without understanding their purpose there was no telling how they would interact with Chakra used on her person.

Anko, one of the three Jounin that arrived with Minato, sat within arms-length of the restrained kunoichi. She had grudgingly provided a spare set of clothing to replace the torn and bloody scraps removed from their prisoner. The blonde was more petite and they didn't fit well, but it would serve the purpose for now. The mood in the camp was sombre as Minato worked.

The other two Jounin, Asuma and Ko, were out securing the camp. Minato sighed heavily and stood, looking resigned. "I'm sorry Rin, we are going to have to use a stasis seal on you until we can counter Kiri's work. Those bastards didn't just seal the Sanbi in you; their work is sloppy and they branded you with a Puppet Master Seal."

Kakashi looked up frowning, "what does that do?"

"It allows someone's actions to be… influenced, and prevents them from taking their own life. It's vile and forbidden."

Kakashi's eyes flashed in anger that morphed into worry, "can you save her, sensei?" Minato didn't answer immediately, "Yes – but it won't be easy. The Puppet Master Seal is placed directly onto the heart. There is a very high chance that tampering with it could activate the seal and crush her heart. It's delicate Fuinjutsu that needs a lot of preparation. This location won't remain secure long enough for me to work. In the morning we'll set out for Konoha's closest safe house. It's about four hours from here and is more defensible. The squad on rotation there can help with keeping watch."

Rin had already resigned herself to death; the risks of being restrained with a seal were a small price to pay in exchange for her life. She and nodded her head in assent, "Don't worry sensei, I trust you. Please, just get it over with; I don't want to do be forced to something I'll regret." Minato retrieved one of the Stasis Seals form his pack. The seals were intended for prisoners; they use the Chakra of the prisoner to maintain an artificial coma. Unfortunately the seals also reduce blood pressure – reducing how much the heart works and how much blood the brain is getting. Prolonged use could lead to heart failure and brain damage.

"What about her?" Anko nodded her head toward the bound woman. "She's not from Konoha; I wonder where she got those gloves. In fact, they aren't just engraved symbols, they look like seals too."

Minato nodded as he placed the paper seal on Rin's forehead, activating it. He caught the woman as she slumped over, laying her down gently. "They are seals. Whoever did all that Fuinjutsu she wears is a master. I haven't been able to completely decipher anything beyond two storage seals. It looks like the majority of them convert Chakra and reuse it in some way. I can feel a few of them absorbing Nature Chakra. We will have to wait until she regains consciousness."

"Are you sure that restraining her is the right thing to do? She did save our lives from that man she called Madara. I don't think she will be too happy about waking up hogtied."

Minato blew out another heavy sigh, "We don't know anything about her. She is wearing the mark of a Konoha, she is not from the village and her Chakra capacity is enormous. It's better to err on the side of caution; at least until we know more about her."

Kakashi shrugged, "Without anything seals to repress her Chakra I'm not sure that wire will restrain her very well. She is good, sensei, one of the best I've seen. Those binds might just piss her off; I don't think we want to be on her bad side."

"It's the best decision with the least amount of risk to our team. I put a Hiraishin marker on both of her sandals. We're prepared if she is aggressive. Get some sleep, you two. I'll recall Ko to do the same. We'll cover watch in pairs, one to watch over her," Minato pointed at the prisoner, "and the other to keep watch over the camp."

Kakashi and Anko both nodded and moved to their bedrolls for some rest.

The night passed without incident. By time dawn had lit up the forest, the ninja had already eaten breakfast and broken camp. The group made quick time to their destination; even while having to carry Rin and the blonde kunoichi. The team leader for the squad of Chunin on rotation intercepted them roughly 15 minutes from the safe house. After a quick exchange he had led them to the house and shown them to the unused rooms.

The safe house was unremarkable. It contained six large bedrooms, one holding room and a hall that was too large to be considered a kitchen; calling it a canteen would be more appropriate. Only one lavatory was available inside the building. The location was close enough to an onsen that served as bathing facilities for any tenants. The canteen could seat a group of 15, comfortably.

After stammering a nervous greeting to Minato, the Yellow Flash, and Kakashi of the Sharingan, the Chunin manning the safe house left to resume their usual patrol rounds. The prisoner was placed into the holding room. It was painted with intricate seals that nullified the use of Chakra against the walls, ceiling and floors. The seals also reinforced the enclosure from physical damage and provided a primitive surveillance by broadcasting an alarm if a prisoner moved from the cot.

Rin was placed into one of the six bedrooms and the other five sat around the table in the canteen. Kakashi gave voice to the question on everyone's mind, "Why is she still unconscious? I can sense she doesn't have Chakra exhaustion and her wounds have somehow healed already."

Minato shrugged "My best guess is the seal she used for a shield. It must have been incomplete and she was hit with feedback. Every seal will have a reaction to the forces used against it. Seals that deal with only one source of energy are less complex, for example storage seals. A storage seal is designed to use the provided Chakra to open a dimensional pocket. A completed seal will have a resistor that will adjust the Chakra provided down to the level required for it to function; otherwise the seal matrix could shatter or worse."

Minato paused for a drink of water, "A shield, like the one she used, would use the channelled Chakra to form a protective shell. It didn't have a resistor because the strength of the shield needed to correlate directly to the Chakra input. A perfect shield would use the force of the energy against it to strengthen the shell; but you would need to formulate the seal to convert the specific type of energy used against it– for example, nature, fire, wind, water or earth Chakra. I haven't heard of anyone creating a perfect shield; it's too complex to create one that protects from all outside forces. If the seal, powered by the user's Chakra input, doesn't use the third source of energy, something else has to be done with it. The unused force battering against a shield is typically repelled or redirected. Since the seal isn't using the additional force, it has to go somewhere. I think that either the force or amount of power used against her shield overloaded the redirect she created. The Jutsu used against her shield was powerful. I could feel all the Chakra from miles away. I don't have any shields that could deal with anything near those levels of energy. It would be like trying to dam a river with parchment. Well, maybe not that extreme, but you get the idea."

The four Jounin around the table blinked at Minato owlishly. Anko scoffed, "Yeah, we get the idea alright. Well I'm glad someone understands this crap." She got up and started toward her room. "I'm heading over to the onsen, we've been roaming this damned forest for weeks my muscles are stiffer than Sharingan boy here while he was drooling over our prisoner." The woman paused and threw a look over her shoulder, "feel free to join me if you want, Kakashi" giving him a quick wink before disappearing.

Minato knew Anko's teasing was an attempt to keep Kakashi's mind off of Rin's dire situation. He chuckled at his student's reddening face, "are you going to join her?" Kakashi whipped his head toward Minato in horror. "Or are you too besotted with our prisoner?" Kakashi made a choking sound while Asuma and Ko tittered in humor.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Thanks for the reviews, favs and follows. This is just an idea that's been in the back of my head for a while and I thought I'd put it to page to see if it gained any traction.


	3. Chapter 3

Naruko awoke in alarm. The wire binding her limbs was tightened excessively; letting her know she was being held captive. She kept her eyes shut and controlled her breathing to portray the illusion that she was still unconscious. Focusing on her other senses she identified nine Chakra signatures. Six ninjas were in the house and another three were scattered beyond the property. All of the signatures felt relatively warm and provided assurance that her captors weren't malevolent. One signature stood out amongst the rest – it was larger and felt more tempered.

Assured that no one was in the same room keeping watch, she slowly opened her eyes. The cot she was lying on took up one side of the room across from a table and chair. Goosebumps riddled her skin in response to some ambient energy, likely active Fuinjutsu. When her eyes adjusted to the light and focused, she spotted the seals; the room was unmistakably designed to be a holding cell. Her eyes roamed the edges of the room identifying surveillance and reinforcement seals.

Two of the Chakra signatures in the house were familiar. Those were the two she had saved from Madara. It was Konoha that had taken her, then. Naruko remained motionless as she tried to puzzle out exactly what was going on. One of the ninja she had saved was familiar. He appeared to be a younger version of the man she knew as Hatake Kakashi. Madara had said that he could now focus on taking care of her father. Did that mean she had followed the bastard back in time? Or was she in another dimension? It was common knowledge that other dimensions existed and were accessible; there are plenty of abilities known to exploit space and time. However, Naruko had no idea if parallel dimensions were possible.

If this was a parallel dimension, did one dimension affect the other? If that was the case, would that technically make this other dimension the past? Thinking of space relativity and theoretical physics was making her head spin. This wasn't a puzzle she could figure out with such little information. Naruko abandoned that train of thought, she needed to know more.

With a quick assessment she determined that the kidnappers hadn't marked her with any restriction seals. They limited themselves to the use of physical restraints. She still had full access to her Chakra; but Naruko could feel the faint essence of something applied to her sandals. Whatever it was, she couldn't see it from the way they bound her. The primitive surveillance seals on the floor are activated by changes in pressure. They are easily avoidable with Chakra, but her captors would be able to sense its' use. All four walls, the ceiling and the floors were branded with reinforcement seals; those wouldn't disperse or absorb Chakra, but they made the wood stronger than tempered steel. A jutsu powerful enough to pierce any part of the room would be too dangerous in such small quarters.

Naruko was irritated over being treated like a prisoner. Konoha never ceased to amaze her with its underhandedness. What right did they have? She saved their lives and had shown no hostility. As a reward for risking her life they restrained her, put some sort of seal on her sandals and locked her up in a room. The more she stewed over their malfeasance the more her temper flared. At least they treated her wounds; it was unnecessary but, an olive branch none-the-less. The chances of an escape without confrontation were slim. She had no idea what country they were in, and anything she did to escape would be detected. Naruko didn't want to antagonise Konoha; but she wanted nothing to do with that village in any time or dimension.

The kunoichi cleared her mind and visualized a fuinjutsu seal. She channeled her Chakra, molding it to replicate the image in her mind. The Chakra spread across the floor, branding the seal onto the wood. The seal faded from view. Only someone with a dojutsu would be able to spot it. Even then it would be difficult, layered on top of the seals that were already there. The amount of Chakra required was negligible; her captor's would think she had just flared it slightly to get their attention. Minutes later the door opened to reveal a blonde man wearing what appeared to be a Jounin vest. The dim light made it difficult to make out anything else. He entered the room to find Naruko hadn't moved from where they put her. When the kunoichi got a clear look at the Jounin, emotions flittered across her face so fast it was almost imperceptible. Obvious fear was replaced by… longing, and then hatred? Clearly she was familiar him.

Kakashi and another Jounin followed him, splitting to opposite sides of the room and leaning against the walls. Even bound the way she was, swathed in clothes that were too big for her, Kakashi couldn't take his eyes off her. Despite the kunoichi's predicament, she somehow exuded regality. Perhaps that's part of what had his sensei on edge.

Minato cut the tether between her wrists and ankles, allowing her to sit up. He took a seat at the table and gave her a hard stare before speaking. "You know who I am." He said, rhetorically. "This is Hatake Kakashi" he pointed over his right shoulder and then to the other man, "and this is Hyuga Ko. Who are you?"

Madara had used her name in front of Kakashi already, "Naruko." Minato raised an eyebrow. He was waiting for a family name. Letting him know that might lead him to determine that they are related. She wasn't sure this man would believe she was his daughter. She also didn't know how she felt about him. Minato was the catalyst behind the terrible childhood she had to endure. Naruko just stared at the man flatly before he sighed. "Okay Naruko, what are you doing here?"

"Where is here?"

"Nice try," Minato deflected in return, "what were you doing in the clearing where you were found?"

"I followed someone there," she flicked her head toward Kakashi "your subordinate knows this."

"Yes, Kakashi mentioned him. He also mentioned that you called him 'Madara'. I've only heard of one Madara, Uchiha Madara."

Naruko nodded, keeping eye contact with Minato.

The Konoha ninja stiffened. "Madara died almost 35 years ago. Are you implying that this is the same man and that you are from… what, the past?" The disbelief on Minato's face was obvious. "I'm somewhat of an expert in space-time jutsu. Time travel is not possible and no one has ever encountered life in another dimension.

Naruko shrugged her shoulders, her restraints made the movement look awkward, "I don't know the limits of Madara's capabilities. He's powerful and has a lot of tools at his disposal. I've fought against him several times and I've escaped by the skin of my teeth more often than not."

"His dojutsu allows him to travel between dimensions. I've never been able to access the other dimension I've seen him travel to. I designed a seal that anchors me to a Chakra signature. When I activated it on him, I ended up here."

"Do you mean you have also created the Hiraishin?" Kakashi blurted out, cursing himself. He was usually more collected, something about this woman had him flustered.

"No," Naruko said succinctly. Minato was starting to get frustrated. The kunoichi was being careful. Every time he was hoping for embellishment, she clammed up. Her information withholding was raising his suspicions.

Minato leaned forward, "You know of the Hiraishin too. Where are you from?"

"I was born in Fire Country."

The older Jounin changed his posture to impose on Naruko. He focused on the kunoichi to the point where she could feel the weight of his murderous intent and anger. The effect was quite intimidating, but Naruko remained indifferent. Her indifference provided Minato with a good indication about the level of ninja they were dealing with. His name on its own was usually enough to trigger a flight response. This kunoichi looked unconcerned. "Quit being obtuse, you are testing my patience; and my leniency."

Naruko scoffed, unimpressed, "Don't flatter yourself, Namikaze-san. I'm the one that has been lenient here. I have no quarrel with Konoha, but your treatment of me is insolent. I saved two of your ninja. I could have been long gone before they would have had a chance to react; and left them to deal with Madara. How do you think that would have gone?"

Kakashi visibly deflated. She was right, of course. He doubted he could have escaped from those Kiri ninja, let alone the man she claimed to be Madara. He may not be Uchiha Madara, but he is extremely powerful.

"You were found in Fire Country and Konoha is acting under the principles of war; your presence and the circumstances of your arrival are a perceived threat. You've given us little reason to think otherwise. I'll ask you one more time, where – are – you - from?"

Kakashi was taken aback by the abrupt steeling of resolve in her eyes. Her entire presence suddenly commanded respect and obedience. The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Kakashi and Ko didn't move a muscle as they silently observed the contest of wills between the kunoichi and Minato. This was ridiculous. She was restrained, surrounded by three extremely skilled Jounin in a sealed room and acted like she was in control. This woman is dangerous. "Enough - release me and we can exchange information. I won't be interrogated like a spy. I have done nothing wrong and you have no right."

"I see," Minato muttered in disappointment. He rose from his seat with a frown on his face. He was immediately flanked by the other two Jounin as they headed for the door. "I have more important things to worry about than information extraction. We'll hand you over to Torture and Interrogation once we get back to Konoha. Kakashi, give her something to knock her out and redo that tether. "

He turned his head to speak over his shoulder at her. "I don't think you quite understand your situation. Don't mistake our leniency for weakness. If you try to escape, we will kill you".

That was the final straw. Naruko flexed her limbs against the restraints. The seals on her arms and legs illuminated as pressure was applied to them. A sharp * _snap_ * reverberated through the room as the wires broke. The three Konoha Jounin whirled, facing her with weapons in hand.

She was already channeling Chakra, transforming it into the water element and saturating the air with it. The effect was palpable, the room felt like a sauna. Kakashi and Ko held back, letting Minato take the lead; they moved to block off the exit instead.

As expected, Minato connected with his marker on her sandals to appear behind her with the yellow flash of his Hiraishin no Jutsu. His eyes grew in surprise. She had anticipated his movement and was already mid kick in a roundhouse. He had to act quickly, placing a guard against her incoming leg. She was definitely familiar with the Hiraishin. When her strike met with his arm, the seals on her skin flared again. The power behind the hit was incredible. Minato was thrown across the room by the force of the blow. He appeared on the other side of her an instant later, jabbing forward with a kunai. She side stepped the jab while channelling raw Chakra into a storage seal on her wrist. The seal released a veil of smoke, impeding vision as she maneuvered to the center of the room. When the smoke mixed with the moisture in the room it became heavier; giving it the appearance of a thick floating cloud.

Minato stuck to her relentlessly with the Hiraishin. Kakashi and Ko activated their dojutsu; both had the ability to nullify the effects of the smoke screen. They could track the other two chakras flawlessly. Naruko cursed her luck. She was hoping the smoke would hinder at least two of the three. Panic flooded through Kakashi and Ko when their enhanced vision noticed a non-active seal on the floor. Kakashi yelled out in warning "Sensei!"

Before he could elaborate, Naruko channeled more Chakra. It was transformed into wind while she manipulated it into a centrifugal rotation around her. The artificial air current took the cloud with it, creating the effect of a small tornado in the room. Wind and smoke beat heavily against Kakashi and Ko pushing them into the walls. The force of it wasn't allowing them to breathe. The kunoichi grappled with Minato at the eye of the small tornado, unaffected by the winds. How was she manipulating Chakra like this while battling on a level that could compete with Minato? Kakashi's assessment had been spot on. This woman is dangerous; Minato should have listened to his warning.

She kicked at the blonde Jounin again, sending him spinning into a wall. Minato was having trouble countering the way she was enhancing her strikes. The seals on her body must be amplifying her strength and speed. Before he could use Chakra to get a foothold, the force of the tornado flung him across the room into another wall. His head struck wood hard this time. The blow rattled his thoughts, stunning him temporarily.

Naruko knew that fighting these three was risky. She didn't want a fight to the death, she wanted to let them know she would not be restrained and tortured. They couldn't have achance to best her. Minato's expertise in Fuinjutsu would make it near impossible to overwhelm the Konoha ninja. Especially when they wouldn't hold the same reservations about using lethal force. The small quarters also eliminated the majority of her ninjutsu repertoire.

Before Konoha had a chance to counter and overpower her, she cut off her flow of Chakra and ended the jutsu. The wind stopped, and most of the smoke was drawn back into one of her seals. In the same moment she channeled a small trace of Chakra through her leg, activating the seal she had made earlier. It was a stasis seal, everyone was held in place as if time froze. The three Konoha shinobi gave Naruko a hard stare, but nobody moved.

"I'm not going to Konoha" she said with finality. "I'm not here to fight with you. If you want some more answers we can sit down and exchange information – a… zero sum game, if you will. I'll even offer my help with those seals on your kunoichi." She removed both of her sandals and tossed them onto the cot. "What's your answer, Namikaze-san?"

The options available to them were few, as Minato considered her ultimatum. He wanted answers and he had no doubt that she would disappear before he managed to break the seal restraining them. His Hiraishin would most likely counter the Fuinjutsu, but he couldn't be sure he would have full control of his limbs once he flashed. It wasn't worth the risk. They were currently at her mercy and she wasn't taking advantage of it.

Minato nodded in assent, "Alright." He could barely remember the last time he had been outmaneuvered. Naruko stared into his eyes; trying to determine the truth behind his resignation. He wasn't lying, he wouldn't go back on his word. The kunoichi crouched over her seal that disappeared without a trace when she placed her hand over its center.


	4. Chapter 4

Naruko turned her head to look at Kakashi. He reddened, but didn't look away. She had caught him staring, there was no point in trying to hide it. What was it that made him want to keep looking at her? Yes, she was beautiful, but there was something else. He didn't understand it. This definitely required some introspection. The last time his mind had been so occupied was after Obito had given him the Sharingan. The mood in the safe house had lightened since the incident in the holding room.

At least, Kakashi believed it had lightened. The foreign kunoichi wasn't much for words. Her posture was relaxed and she seemed at ease; or maybe she was just that confident in her ability to deal with any situation. For all appearances, the kunoichi named Naruko did not hold a grudge for her treatment. She may have a temper, but she was forgiving.

Minato noticed her eyes lingering on Kakashi, "When you are done flirting with my ninja, Naruko The Clanless, we can proceed with our…. information sharing."

The woman turned her gaze on Minato, where it rested for several minutes. Obviously his attempt at humor wasn't appreciated. He was about to try a different approach, when she spoke. "No - I'm starved, and you haven't seen fit to provide me with any food." Minato _tsked_ , retrieved a ration bar from his flak vest and tossed it at her. She tilted her head to the side letting the bar sail over her shoulder to hit the wall. "We aren't in such a hurry that I need to subject myself to one of those vile tasting sticks. A decent meal isn't a lot to ask for." Naruko nodded her head slightly towards Kakashi, "besides, based on Hatake-san's overt staring, he would be more than happy to cook for me."

Minato sighed, "alright, alright - but Ko and I will be doing the cooking. If we let Kakashi make us dinner, we would be talking through a door all evening. You would be spending your time squatting over a latrine instead of sitting on a chair."

Kakashi shook his head slightly, "Just hurry this up. I don't care what we eat and I don't care where the hell she is from." He gestured toward Naruko, "I want to save Rin."

"Easy, Hatake-san." Naruko moved her hands in a placating motion. "Your teammate is fine - for now. I can sense the Sanbi. It has calmed down and is not pushing Chakra through the seal like it was before."

"How can you know that? Are you a sensor?" Naruko saw the calculating gleam in Minato's eyes as he speculated and filed information away. "Yes, and I am especially attuned to the Chakra of what people refer to as the 'Tailed Beasts'."

"Why is that?" Minato piped up. His interrogative demeanor was starting to get on Naruko's nerves again. "Why is your hair blonde? I haven't the slightest idea." Minato looked unimpressed as he turned on heel and made his way to the kitchen. Ko followed closely behind.

"Are you sure we should be so amicable with her? She is an unknown entity and quite powerful." Ko whispered over Minato's shoulder. "We don't have a choice, Ko. We need information and I get the feeling that we have a higher chance of getting that if we treat her like a guest. She hasn't overtly challenged us beyond her muscle flexing in the holding room. Besides, I don't like the chances of us all returning to Konoha alive if we had to subdue her. I get the impression she doesn't want any trouble; there is no point in risking lives if we can get what we want peacefully. She knows who I am and knows that if anything happened it would bring the full weight of Fire Country down on her."

Ko whistled softly through his teeth, "even the Great Minato is wary."

Minato elbowed him lightly in the gut and they started to prepare some food. Minutes later the three Chunin that were patrolling the area returned in a fluster. They looked around the house quizzically before their eyes settled on Naruko. All three sets of eyes widened in alarm and whipped toward the ranking ninja, "What's happening? We felt Chakra being thrown around."

"We had a disagreement with our guest." Seeing the Konoha Jounin casually preparing food in the kitchen put the Chunin squad at ease. "Well, whatever it was, I am glad the house is still standing….."

"Everything is fine, get back to your patrol please. We'll leave some food out for the end of your shift." The three bowed in deference and left immediately.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

It wasn't long before the food was brought to the table; but Naruko's previous impatient snap at Minato had left lull in conversation making the minutes stretch on. Naruko wasted no time in grabbing a pair of chopsticks and helping herself. The Konoha Jounin slowly joined in.

"Food is served, your glass is full and we are all comfortable. Let's enjoy our dinner with conversation, shall we?" Naruko looked up and nodded in assent.

"Where are you from?"

She thought for a second, "If you are asking where I was born, it was in Konoha; and I grew up in Uzushio." Naruko could hear some of the ninja around the table suck in their breath at that information. "If you are asking me where I am from in relation to this point in time, or dimension - I'm sorry I don't know. The Jutsu used to bring me here was not of my creation or understanding."

Minato frowned, "That's impossible - what is your family name?"

"I was born into a clan called the Uzumaki."

"Who were your parents?"

"This is a two way exchange of information, it's my turn. You told me earlier that Konoha is operating under the principles of war. Whom is Konoha at war with?"

"Kusa, Iwa and Kiri. It has been dubbed the Third Shinobi War."

A look of confusion flittered across Naruko's face, but it was gone a second later. Minato, however, was relentless and didn't miss a thing. "What is it?"

Naruko shook her head and continued, "That's not what I was taught about the third war. Who is the Hokage of Konoha?"

Minato kneeled forward to plate some more food while Kakashi answered "Sarutobi-sama".

Her head whipped around to face Kakashi. "That….what….Who was his predecessor?" Minato interrupted this time, "Share and share alike, Naruko. Who were your parents?"

"They were Uzumaki, that is all I can say. I don't understand what is going on here. I cannot risk creating some sort of paradox by providing information that could change the course of events."

"So" Minato continued, "you believe you are from the future then...", Naruko only shrugged, "And someone in this room is tied to your family in some way." The kunoichi shrugged again, her expression not giving anything away. "This whole thing seems a little far fetched. I'm not sure what to believe. Why don't you come back to Konoha with us? We were allies with Uzu - "

"Were allies?" Naruko blurted "What do you mean 'were'?"

It was Minato's turn to look puzzled, "Uzushio's destruction was part of what started the war. We were close allies with Uzushio for years. Kiri, for reasons we can only speculate at, targeted Uzushio for destruction. When Konoha attempted to provide aid we were stalled by a contingent of Kusa and Iwa ninja stationed in Nami. By time Konoha arrived, Uzushio was destroyed."

Minato looked hard at Naruko before continuing, "that doesn't sound like what you believe has happened. Clearly your world or time, or whatever you believe you are from is vastly different than ours. What do you think happened to Uzushio?"

"It came under attack by a group of murderous ninja months before I arrived here. They called themselves the Akatsuki. They moved onto Uzushio after destroying Konoha and killing their Sandaime Hokage, Jiraya-sama."

The silence was pregnant as the Konoha shinobi absorbed the gravity of the information. Asuma was the first to speak, "A single group of ninja destroyed Konoha? That's outrageous! Jiraya was the Sandaime? Are you delusional, or were you living in the worst dimension imaginable?"

Naruko glanced at Asuma out of the corner of her eyes, "I feel like I've ended up in the past of an alternate dimension." She closed her eyes and massaged her temples. "I spent most of my life in Uzushio. Jiraya-sama was nominated as the Sandaime Hokage after Tobirama Senju retired."

"Your story isn't making sense, Tobirama Senju died at the end of the first war leaving Konoha to my father, Hiruzen! Jiraya would have been.." Asuma looked pensive as he calculated the years in his head, "eight years old at the time."

"It's clear our two histories share as much similarity as they do differences. I know that the second war ended with an armistice. Victory wasn't in sight for any one Country. Hiruzen Sarutobi was never the Hokage of Konoha. He was an ANBU Captain and a personal advisor to Jiraya-sama. He trained the Sanin and his skills were more beneficial to Konoha in the field."

"I think someone has really messed with your head. You seem to be covered in Fuinjutsu. Do those have an effect on your mind?" Anko scoffed.

Naruko stood up and stared off to the East. The quick movements put everyone on high alert, ready to defend themselves. Her gaze was piercing as it ignored the Konoha ninja - it looked as if she was seeing through the walls of the building. "Your Chunin squad is in trouble. Kiri has found your safehouse and is approaching from the South East."

A/N:

I had to make a quick correction for things to make sense. My plan is Naruko & Kakashi, yes. I don't know if Naruko still has Karuma, we will have to see :) I am sorry for the length of time on the update. I have two kids under 3 and things got very busy for me.


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